Intersectoral Competition Research Articles

Prioritizing factors for the adoption of IoT-based smart irrigation in Saudi Arabia: a GRA/AHP approach

The irrigation sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) confronts a range of obstacles, such as scarce water resources, the elevated salinity and alkalinity of irrigation water, inefficient irrigation practices, and inter-sectoral competition for water resources. These challenges have led to diminishing agricultural yields and abandonment of arable lands. Internet of Things (IoT)-based irrigation systems present a promising remedy for these issues. By curbing water wastage and ensuring precise water delivery to crops, IoT-based irrigation systems offer a viable solution to the challenges entrenched in traditional irrigation methodologies in KSA. However, the widespread implementation of an IoT-based Smart Irrigation System (I-SIMS) poses a multifaceted and intricate challenge in KSA. This study is focused on the identification of the factors and challenges through a systematic review and ranking of the challenges/factors that exert a significant influence on the adoption of I-SIMS. Ranking aids in determining the importance of various alternatives. It enables locating the best options that support the required objectives in complex decision situations. The study employs both Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) methodologies to prioritize these factors. The study’s conclusive findings indicate that among the challenges, technical expertise and security measures emerge as the foremost concerns that demand attention.

Classical and neoclassical economic theory: Fundamentals of regulation for the agricultural sector

The work is devoted to the complex issues of the influence of the theoretical assumptions of classical and neoclassical economic theory on the sustainable development of the agricultural sector. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the scientific theoretical foundations of classical and neoclassical economic theory as the basis for regulating the agricultural sector. The methodological basis of the study is an integrated approach, in which the approaches of classical and neoclassical economic theory to the regulation of the agricultural sector are considered. The scientific foundations of classical economic theory are studied from the point of view of three concepts: “economic man”, “natural order”, and equilibrium economics. It is shown that from the point of view of the economic theory classics, the market appears to be a self-regulating mechanism that leads to maximum efficiency in production and allocation of goods, the concept: the state is a “night watchman”. The scientific foundations of neoclassical economic theory are investigated from two major methodological bases: the marginalism principle and descriptive models of economic behavior of people. The automatic mechanism of the best use of market resources is shown and, according to neoclassical theories, the competitive market, without government intervention, is able to lead to the best equilibrium results. Recommendations are given for improving market relations to ensure the economic growth of the agricultural sector in terms of intracompany and intersectoral competition.

Sustainability assessment of waste and wastewater recovery for edible mushroom production through an integrated nexus. A case study in Lazio

With a global population of eight billion people, improving the sustainability and nutritional quality of diets has become critical. Mushrooms offer a promising solution because of their nutritional value and ability to be grown from agricultural residues, in line with the circular economy. This study, therefore, focuses on assessing the environmental compatibility of Agaricus bisporus mushroom production in Italy, the world's third largest per capita consumer, by using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and an integrated Water-Energy-Nitrogen-Carbon-Food (WENCF) nexus analysis. The LCA results reveal that for a functional unit of 23,000 kg of the substrate, the production process emits 2.55 × 104 kg of CO2 eq. Sensitivity analysis shows that changing input quantities can reduce environmental impacts by about 5 %. In addition, one scenario evaluates the environmental effects of recycling resources by introducing water and ammonium sulfate from scratch instead of continuous recycling, along with water purification. The study shows that sustainable food production can mitigate resource depletion, climate-altering emissions, and intersectoral competition. Using agro residues for mushroom cultivation and optimizing resource management contribute to environmental sustainability. This approach could not only improve the resilience and efficiency of the food system but could also improve the sustainability of diets. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of adopting sustainable and circular approaches in mushroom production to address global challenges related to food sustainability.

How do societies reform their agricultural water management towards new priorities for water, agriculture, and the environment?

Concerns about sustainability, climate change and increasing inter-sectoral competition for water and land are pressing societies to set a new course in economic development, agriculture, water distribution and the environment. Although changes in societal priorities are an important driver of agricultural water management reform, the extent of reform is constrained by social and biophysical limits. Existing frameworks offer limited insight how reforms in agricultural water management accommodate shifted societal priorities, and how these reforms might unfold across policy domains, farming practices and land and water resources. In this paper, we define the concept of “reorientation” as a shift in broader societal priorities that drives reform of agricultural water management. We discuss 21 reorientation examples around the world. The examples reveal much diversity in the starting point of a reorientation, the degree to which a reorientation has unfolded, the role of governments, and the scales involved in a reorientation. We end the paper with a call for analytical frameworks and empirical studies to generate insights how societies reform their agricultural water management towards ambitious sustainable production and consumption modes.

Лоббизм в США как инструмент конкурентной борьбы

The economic sphere of society in the United States is a highly competitive environment, within which there is a clash of various interest groups seeking to influence political decision-making in order to ensure the most favorable business conditions for themselves. The purpose of the study is to consider lobbying as a competitive tool for various business sectors in the United States. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: to analyze the features of the economic sphere of US society as a competitive environment; to consider the legal basis for regulating lobbying activities in the United States; to determine the methods of lobbying; to analyze the overall structure of lobbying expenses in the United States and determine the share of business expenses in various sectors; to determine the place of the two leading political parties in the United States – Democratic and Republican – in the process of lobbying the interests of various business sectors and the reasons for such a difference. The study covers the period of the 2020 election cycle in the United States. The problem of lobbying the interests of business sectors is considered on the example of the competition between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election. The work is based on a dialectical research method. According to the results of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that in the structure of lobbying activities, lobbying for business interests repeatedly prevails over lobbying for the interests of the non-profit sector. Lobbying is a form of competitive struggle, one of the ways to carry out competitive actions, an instrument of competition between various business sectors for the establishment of the most favorable conditions for their sector. According to the results of the 2020 presidential election, the communications and electronics sector won in the person of its key lobbyist, Democratic candidate Joe Biden. During the election campaign, both Trump and Biden used a marketing approach, “selling” their “political product” that expressed the interests of certain business sectors, certain groups of voters whose consumer preferences would allow them to “realize” this “product”. The intersectoral competition of various business sectors harmoniously integrated into the political competition of the two leading political parties in the United States.

Features of peat geology and exploration development in Russia

By the end of the 19th century, the conditions for the emergence of the peat industry were formed in Russia. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the description of peat deposits gradually becomes systematic. The study of the growth of mires led to the emergence of mire science and peat science, which became the basis for the successful development of the peat industry. Since the mid-1920s, the role of scientific support for the peat industry has changed. Under the conditions of the mobilization economy and the implementation of the sectoral plan, the autonomy of the scientific community and, as a result, its potential is decreasing. Scientific research was complicated by intersectoral competition for funding before the formation in the 40s of the management of the country’s peat resources and reserves. Its development ends with the emergence of a separate geological exploration industry. As a result, the growth in the volume of peat exploration in the 1950s and 1970s significantly outstripped the growth in peat extraction. At the same time, the introduction of innovative exploration methods was limited due to the unjustified reduction in the cost of manual labor. This trend has led to the fact that since the mid- 70s. the development of geology and exploration of peat deposits did not have an actual impact on the industry. There were no incentives to test new exploration methods. Over the past decades, the volume of geological exploration work has been sharply reduced. The main emphasis is shifted to the study of the role of peat deposits in the global carbon balance and the impact on climate. The change in the vector ofthe use of mires from exploitation to their conservation led to the return of the study of the mechanisms of the functioning of mires, which was typical for the first quarter of the 20th century.

Обострение конкуренции в процессе коммерциализации индустрии спорта

The article provides a preliminary analysis of the development of commercialization in the sports industry in the “pandemic period”. The entire global sports industry is going through difficult times, as many sports organizations (federations, professional leagues and clubs) have lost a certain part of their income. This became especially noticeable when there were serious restrictions on the presence of fans at sports events. Therefore, now many sports organizations have serious financial problems, including such as the IOC, international sports federations, professional leagues and clubs, both in America and in Europe. Although, some sports have only benefited from the global COVID-19 pandemic, for example, chess and cybersports. In the context of increasing competition in world sports for the attention, interests and money of the main consumers, the conditions for the development of different sports will change. Whoever adapts faster to the current factors of intersectoral competition will remain the winner. Although popular sports, such as football, basketball, tennis, boxing and some others, initially have the best starting opportunities for commercialization and increasing their income. It is important for the Russian sports industry to understand the future trends in the development of world sports and intersectoral competition in order to find the optimal balance between economic and sport results. The results of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo allow us to hope that Russia’s sports potential can be developed and improved by competing with other leading sports countries.

Intersectoral Competition for Water Between Users and Uses in Tamil Nadu-India

Water is a manageable asset for drinking, food creation, and industry, and demand increases as the population increases. Water for irrigated agriculture, industry and domestic needs in India will go up to 1,072, 130, and 102 billion m3 (BCM) by the year 2050. In the state of Tamil Nadu in 2025, water needs for irrigation, domestic, livestock, and industrial sectors will be 52.7, 1.5, 1, and 2 billion m3, respectively, against the available supply of 24.6 BCM of surface water and 23 BCM of groundwater during the same period. A balance between need and supply is often difficult to achieve. By the year 2050, some 60 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. In India and Tamil Nadu, 38 and 48 per cent of people will live in cities. Tamil Nadu is the second most urbanized state in India with 48 per cent of its population living in cities. This urban push will demand a large share of common water resources and most of the reservoir systems will face increased water demand for non-agricultural purposes, bringing in imbalances with other sectors, namely agriculture. Contrary to mounting demand, it will be difficult to facilitate the growing need for water. Furthermore, there are social and environmental costs in terms of the diversion of water from agriculture to urban uses. The discharge of sewage and industrial effluents also pollutes surface and groundwater, affecting not only human health but also the entire ecosystem. This paper examines the water management challenges in Tamil Nadu, India with respect to meeting future water demands across competing sectors.

ASSESSMENT OF THE REGIONAL MARKET CONCENTRATION OF MULTIMODAL CARGO TRANSPORTATION

Purpose. This study aims to assess the regional market concentration of multimodal transport (on the example of the Zaporizhzhia region) and the distribution of "market power" in the freight transport segment between market participants in multimodal transportation. Design/methodology/approach. Authors in the article used the literature review method to substantiate the importance of identifying competition and distinguishing it among other related concepts in the development of regional markets for multimodal transportation by disclosing the specifics of their geographical location, availability of water resources, the establishment of logistics infrastructure, the volume of export-import flows of goods and other essential features in the process of an integrated approach to the formation of the regional market for multimodal transportation and, thus, to justify the relevance of the research topic. The market concentration of multimodal transport in the Zaporizhia region (using: concentration index, Lind index, Herfindahl–Hirschman index, and Gini index) allowed us to identify the company that forms the “core” of the market and determines its role in shaping the market. (According to analytical calculations, this includes PJSC “Ukrzaliznytsia”). The conducted analytical analyses allowed to suggest directions of development for the regional multimodal transportations market, particularly the identification of competition levels. Findings. Were proved the hypothesis concerning the need to eliminate the market monopolization of multimodal transportation in the Zaporizhzhia region and strengthen intra-industry and intersectoral competition in it. In particular, the development of the regional market of multimodal transportation should meet the industry needs and take into account the sectoral and regional peculiarities of all transport modes' functioning to develop multimodal technologies of cargo transportation. Practical implications. This study's results are of interest to multimodal transport market operators and cargo owners who are interested in the active implementation of logistics concept into regions development, the practical implementation of which should be, in particular, the intensification centers of cargo handling. These centers are entrusted with the functions of transshipment of goods from one to other transport modes, the allocation of links in the integrated transport chain, the formation of economic development centers in certain regions. This involves, in particular, the construction of multimodal regional clusters. In this way, it is expected to increase the involvement of cargo flows in the regions, the development (intra-industry – between different participants in the transportation process of goods; intersectoral – between different modes of transport in the area; commodity competition – under the conditions of transition to cargo substitute transportation; geographical – in terms of goods delivery by an alternative route); growth of employment in the freight sector and other related industries, etc. The evaluation results of the development of multimodal cargo transportation can be taken into account by the Coordination Council for Logistics at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine to form strategic foundations for the country’s logistics system development. The components of such a strategy should relate to the improvement of multimodal freight transport, the optimization of regional and interregional transport cooperation, the progress of the management of logistics supply chains; increasing the profitability of the transport sector, the formation of economic benefits from the trade development, the national economy cooperation, and development. Originality/value. Assessing the concentration of regional markets will provide an analytical basis in the process of forming a mechanism to ensure the efficiency of multimodal freight comprehensively and minimize interregional asymmetries: the levels of cargo flow by the stated needs of consumers; state of transport and logistics infrastructure; provision of all types of transportation method, service levels, etc.

Public housing, intersectoral competition, and urban ground rent: Iran’s first public housing program that never was

This paper investigates the structural political economic drivers of the housing market in urban Iran and the ways in which social and economic dynamics of the housing sector are rooted in peculiarities of Iranian capitalism, characterized by a relatively small public economy, low productivity of capital, and an underdeveloped financial system. The paper examines these processes and mechanisms in the light of the illustrative case of the country’s first and largest state-led housing program, the Mehr Housing Program (MHP). The paper argues that the program’s failure is due primarily to the state’s market-oriented approach toward housing. The MHP’s units were sold at their market prices, and the state subsidized the land to the developers with low rent, facilitating investments. Utilizing an intersectoral and multi-scalar analytical framework, we further argue that what drives the investment is absolute ground rent present in the housing sector due to its labor-intensive character. The high level of rent is due to persistently low profitability in the manufacturing sector and, subsequently, excess profits in construction and housing. Thus, rent-seeking investors tend to invest in housing. These peculiarities of the Iranian economy determined the trajectory and the failure of the MHP as a public housing initiative.

Effectiveness of Intersectoral Competition in Shaping the Transport Market

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to identify basic factors influencing the level of effectiveness of actions taken in the intersectoral transport market. The research undertaken in this area is aimed at demonstrating the importance and impact of stimulants and obstacles in shaping a favorable model of intersectoral competition. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was based on the available literature, analyses of statistical data and original empirical research, supplemented by industry interviews. The structure of the study was based on the selection of three transport routes and the assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of passenger service on them, under conditions of intersectoral competition among car, rail and air transport entities. Findings: Results of empirical research showed that in the discussed market, the highest efficiency of competition was achieved in the provision of car, lower in rail and the lowest in airservices. In the resulting model of competition, a resource of basic stimulants and determinants were specified, the analysis and importance of which may be useful in improving this competition system. Practical Implications: Growing intensity of intersectoral competition increases the interest of providers in the development of intermodal transport, the need to seek innovative solutions, and in some cases, to adapt to current market requirements. New solutions must consider the improvement of the quality and completeness of a consumer service, as well as increasing the price flexibility. Originality/Value: Results of the conducted research indicate that enterprises, while providing substitute services on the intersectoral market, are entering increasingly difficult requirements of shaping the market advantage (EU). In this situation, there is an urgent need to activate demand preferences, mainly by improving the quality, availability, competence, timeliness, responsibility and security of service provision.

A study of the effectiveness of state support for agriculture in the region (based on material from the Krasnoyarsk Territory)

Agriculture is a key sector of the economy that ensures food security in the region and the country as a whole. The peculiarity of the functioning of agriculture is determined by such factors as the riskiness of activity, high intersectoral competition, dependence on natural and climatic conditions and seasonality. Agriculture is the industry most dependent on state support, and the provided state support is not sufficient to increase the profitability of agricultural production and ensure investment attractiveness. A significant differentiation between the necessary resource support for agricultural production and the state support received determines the need for a science-based approach to studying the issue of state support for agriculture. The article provides an assessment of the institutional features and the effectiveness of the distribution of state subsidies in the region. The sources of subsidies, organizational and legal forms of recipients, and directions of state support were selected as estimates. The analysis shows that most of the subsidies are received by agricultural organizations having the legal form of a limited liability company. The level of state support for agriculture did not affect the number of small and medium enterprises and the value of their turnover, which allows us to assess the effect of subsidies as insufficient. The greatest effect of state support was identified among producers of grain and milk.

How does the interplay between resource availability, intersectoral competition and reliability affect a low-carbon power generation mix in Brazil for 2050?

Increasing penetration of solar and wind energy can reduce the reliability of power generation systems. This can be mitigated by e.g.; low-carbon dispatchable hydropower and baseload biomass power plants. However, long-term supply potential for those sources is often uncertain, and biomass can also be used for biofuel production. The purpose of this study is to assess the interplay between uncertain supply potential of biomass and hydropower, intersectoral competition and reliability on a low carbon power system for 2050, with Brazil as case study, using a soft-link between an energy model and a power system model. Hydropower acts as a balancing agent for solar and wind energy, even under lower hydropower supply potential. When less biomass is available, low carbon transportation is met more with electric cars instead of ethanol cars, leading to an increase in electric load for charging their batteries. The charging strategy determines whether peak load increases substantially; after commuting, or lowers; in off-peak hours. This shows the importance of using a soft-link between the high temporal resolution power system model to assess the reliability, and a least cost-optimization model to assess the interplay between resource availability and intersectoral competition of low-carbon power systems.

МЕХАНИЗМЫ УСТОЙЧИВОГО ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЯ: ОПЫТ КАНАДЫ

The article analyzes Canadian sustainable development policy and Canada’s experiences in implementing sustainable financing mechanisms. It is concluded that accelerated development of sustainable financing mechanisms is favored by large Canadian financial institutions based mainly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is also noted that sustainable finance will increasingly discriminate in terms of access to financial resources enterprises, industries, regions and countries that do not meet the criteria of sustainability. Sustainable finance mechanisms could be also used as instruments of interstate, intersectoral and corporate competition.

ОСНОВНЫЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ ИНВЕСТИЦИОННЫХ СТРАТЕГИЙ И АНАЛИЗ РЫНКА ЦЕННЫХ БУМАГ ИНИВИДУАЛЬНЫХ ИНВЕСТОРОВ РЕСПУБЛИК БАШКОРТОСТАН И ТАТАРСТАН

The article is devoted to the implementation of individual investors' activities in the securities market. The main directions of investment strategies are defined. The formation and rapid development of the stock market in Russia creates the necessary prerequisites for large-scale and efficient use by investors of securities transactions. The functioning of the stock market provides for the acquisition, on certain conditions and for a certain period, of free cash resources, raising funds through the issuance and sale of securities and channeling them to the technical renewal of enterprises, their reorientation to the production of competitive products. The stock market creates the conditions for the movement of capital as a result of intersectoral competition, while forming a complex system of markets in which demand and supply for various means of payment are formed and concentrated. In recent years, due to certain historical and economic circumstances, new types of investors begin to dominate in the securities market in Russia – in particular, individual investors, who represent one of the most promising groups of investors in the securities market. The purpose of the work is to determine the directions of investment strategies of an individual investor in the securities market, as well as conduct investment analysis of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Republic Tatarstan. The object of the study is the activities of individual investors in the securities market. The objectives of the work are: 1. Definition of the main directions and essence of investment. 2. Identification of investor opportunities. 3. Analysis of investment in the Republic of Bashkortostan. 4. Analysis of investment in the Republic Tatarstan. The basis of this work is the work of foreign and Russian researchers in the field of investment. This paper analyzes the investment of the stocks market of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Republic of Tatarstan. Based on the results of the analysis, conclusions and proposals for attracting investors were formulated.

Intersectoral approach to the study of the concept of "competition"

Competition, as one of the system-forming factors for the development and existence of a market economy, is of interest among representatives of various scientific fields. The article provides a comparative analysis of the economic, sociological, psychological and philosophical understanding of the nature of competition and its related phenomena. The results of the inter-sectoral competition research and the conclusions based on them provide deeper knowledge of competition and its significance for the country's economy and society.

Moistube Irrigation Technology: A Review

Irrigated agriculture is under pressure to increase water use efficiency and crop water productivity because of inter-sectoral competition for scarce water resources. The shift to micro-irrigation has improved crop quality, yield and water use efficiency. Subsurface drip irrigation significantly reduces non-beneficial water balance components such as runoff and soil evaporation. However, the problem of water loss by deep percolation still exists in this method. Moistube irrigation is a relatively new type of irrigation method where water flows out of the Moistube nanopores as a function of soil water potential and operating pressure. It supplies water continuously to the crop at 80–90% of the field capacity. Therefore, it is a form of deficit irrigation. Based on the previous studies, this paper reviews Moistube irrigation technology by highlighting its hydraulic characteristics, crop growth and yield response, water use efficiency, clogging characteristics and the soil water dynamics. Areas which need further research are also described which can provide a reference for further studies in the relevant area.

Challenges of data availability: Analysing the water-energy nexus in electricity generation

Water is paramount for the operation of energy systems, for securing food supply and for the industry and municipalities. Intersectoral competition for water resources can negatively affect water scarce regions by e.g. power plants shutdowns, poor agricultural yields, and lack of potable water. Future economic and population growth as well as climate change is likely to exacerbate these patterns. However, models used for energy system management and planning in general do not properly include water availability which can lead to improper representations of water-energy interlinkages.The paper initially highlights the water usage rates of current technologies within electricity generation and technologies with a potential to reduce water usage, electricity consumption or GHG emissions. Secondly, the paper presents currently available data on current and future projected water resources as well as data on energy statistics relevant to water-energy nexus studies. Thirdly, implementation cases are presented showing examples of water-energy nexus studies for the data presented. Finally, the paper highlights main challenges in studying the linkage between water and energy. We find a substantial gap in the general availability and quality of regional and global data for detailed quantitative analyses and also identify a need for standardization of formats and data collection methodologies across data and disciplines. An effort towards a coordinated, and sustained open-access data framework with energy sector water usage at fine spatio-temporal scales alongside hydro-climatic observation and model data using common forcings and scenarios for future projections (of climate, socio-economy and technology) is therefore recommended for future water-energy nexus studies.

Методичні засади визначення та оцінки конкурентоспроможності підприємств сільського зеленого туризму

У статті обґрунтовані методичні засади визначення та оцінки конкурентоспроможності підприємств сільського зеленого туризму. Здійснено акцент на тому, що на її рівень впливає не тільки внутрішнє середовище підприємства та галузі, продуктів і послуг, але чи не найбільший вплив здійснює міжгалузева конкуренція, насамперед, зі сторони сільського господарства. Для оцінки різних аспектів конкурентоспроможності запропоновано сукупність методів: статистико-економічні, розрахунково-конструктивні, нормативні, математичного моделювання, анкетування, опитування. Розроблено алгоритм та виділено змістовні етапи досліджень. Запропоновані принципи оцінки конкурентоспроможності.

Does expanding fiscal space lead to improved funding of the health sector in developing countries?: lessons from Kenya, Lagos State (Nigeria) and South Africa

ABSTRACTBackground: The global focus on promoting Universal Health Coverage has drawn attention to the need to increase public domestic funding for health care in low- and middle-income countries.Objectives: This article examines whether increased tax revenue in the three territories of Kenya, Lagos State (Nigeria) and South Africa was accompanied by improved resource allocation to their public health sectors, and explores the reasons underlying the observed trends.Methods: Three case studies were conducted by different research teams using a common mixed methods approach. Quantitative data were extracted from official government financial reports and used to describe trends in general tax revenue, total government expenditure and government spending on the health sector and other sectors in the first decade of this century. Twenty-seven key informant interviews with officials in Ministries of Health and Finance were used to explore the contextual factors, actors and processes accounting for the observed trends. A thematic content analysis allowed this qualitative information to be compared and contrasted between territories.Findings: Increased tax revenue led to absolute increases in public health spending in all three territories, but not necessarily in real per capita terms. However, in each of the territories, the percentage of the government budget allocated to health declined for much of the period under review. Factors contributing to this trend include: inter-sectoral competition in priority setting; the extent of fiscal federalism; the Ministry of Finance’s perception of the health sector’s absorptive capacity; weak investment cases made by the Ministry of Health; and weak parliamentary and civil society involvement.Conclusion: Despite dramatic improvements in tax revenue collection, fiscal space for health in the three territories did not improve. Ministries of Health must strengthen their ability to motivate for larger allocations from government revenue through demonstrating improved performance and the relative benefits of health investments.